What’s the most important part of your PC system? Its processor? The mainboard? Maybe the power supply? You’d only have a case if you thought it’s the PSU. That cornerstone of a PC system is the most important part of the PC system as concerns what’s in the chassis, which might surprise you, but it’s definitely the devices you use to interact with a PC which are absolutely top dog.

The array of joysticks on offer is massive with price varying almost as much as the styles of sticks themselves. The trick is buying a stick suited to your needs and not something that either doesn’t do what you need or has extras that you’ll never use. The reason there are so many sticks on the market is because they each fulfill a particular niche… so let’s take a stroll through the joystick forest and sort out the slender silver birches from the mighty oaks….

Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog USAF A-10C Flight Stick And Throttle All Metal is rated
3.9 out of
5 by
7.

Rated 5 out of
5 by
mushioni from
this really is the daddyfinally i pushed the boat out and begged , borrowed and stole to get hold of one of these metal monsters ... and yes i cannot give it 5 out of 5 for value as really value is subjective ... and £278 is hard to subjectively getaway with when the missus is breathing down your neck
however if you fly anything sim related its simply the most realistic out of the box experience you will get , it is a big system so make sure your desk is ready for this , it does weigh a ton ... but why would you buy something like this and expect lightweight construction ... thats part of its charm is its stability , its button pressures do take some getting used to as does its throttles lifting them past the first gate to start engines
now i have read a couple of negative or misled reviews on this component like the lack of force feedback , modern jet aircraft do not have force feedback ... with the exception of stall warning stick shakers so really force feedback is the gimmick , the only real place for it is on il2 , FSX light aircraft or x plane where your in old skool props not jets , the pressures on the stick of a warthog were similar pressures to the hydraulic pressures on a tornado f3 i ground ran
the precision ... well thats there in abundance compared to say a saitek x52 which although good in its own right is still not in the same league as this , my DCS a10c is suddenly alive and strafing runs are awesome , this lot i have twinned up with an oculus DK2 so switch positions make perfect sense when i see a control move ingame from what i just pressed on this
is it worth it .... yes

Date published: 2016-09-02

Rated 4 out of
5 by
1BA1 from
Very impressive productSadly, I have already had a single button start failing on mine but aside from that single issue (which is seemingly rare), this HOTAS is easily the best on the market and from the problems I've experienced with it's closest competitor I can let the 1 button issue slide.
Feels very heavy, it needs to be felt to be believed, very ergonomic and all the buttons are easily reached, the T.A.R.G.E.T software for this module is very in depth and after a small learning curve I am able to program the device specifically to how I want each and every input to behave.
The throttle is nicely adjustable, would love it to be a tad stiffer but hey-ho that's a minor nag but I am happy to have dropped a bomb on this to the end of dropping many virtual bombs with it.

Date published: 2015-07-11

Rated 1 out of
5 by
Jim249 from
Very Bad It made for a A 10 Warthog not your desk topProbably the best looking joystick in the world, but to play games with no.
After 3 days playing with the settings its still rubbish.
Its metal construction make it to heavy and slow to move with precision and you can't get round that.
All the sales blurb make it sound great but its just not designed for playing games/flight sims with its designed to with stand the high Gs
and stress off air combat.
Its well made in the extreme, but not the right tool for the job.
Nobody likes to admin they made a bad decision but baying this was a mistake.

Date published: 2015-05-23

Rated 5 out of
5 by
giblets from
Great stickIf you like your sticks hard and metallic, this one is for you. It has an uncompromising build quality, feels firm and taut in one's hand. Travel from the centre is smooth in all directions and there are a lot of switches, buttons and hats to assign keys to.
Throttle needs a bit of greasing to feel smoother at the +90% mark, but it's still really nice to use.
Have been using it to play Elite: Dangerous and it makes dog fighting, landing and maneouvering a cinch.

Date published: 2015-05-09

Rated 5 out of
5 by
RebelRedneck from
Best joystick on the marketBrought this joystick primarily for Elite Dangerous and have to recommend it wholeheartedly.
Made from metal weighs ton, feels nice in my big hands.
The throttle is nice and is easily pushed up and down.
Have it twinned up with Thrustmaster MFD's which are a steal.
The only downside is the cost which is a bit steep but considering you are getting an all metal construction compared to the plastic from Saitek in their X-55 rhino which is only about a £100 cheaper.

Date published: 2015-04-27

Rated 5 out of
5 by
n00dle from
EpicNot much I can say other than this is awesome. If you've got the money don't hesitate, just click buy and enjoy the button covered beauty. If you don't have the money.. borrow it from that chap in the alley you met last week, it's 100% worth risking your kneecaps.

Date published: 2015-02-09

Rated 2 out of
5 by
owenros from
High quality item. poor value due to high costAn exact copy I am told of a real world A10 Tankbusters aircraft
Not a bad joystick if you want to play aerial combat games, dog fights and bombing runs etc. and pretend you are flying an A10. Such an expensive item should have force feedback and it doesn't. No good for serious flight training or instrument flying with precision ILS and NDB approaches emulating real world aircraft procedures. Buy a yoke instead if this is what you want a flight sim for . . .